


FIERCE

by usernamewhatamidoing



Series: Inktober [11]
Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, child!momo, domestic2yeonwithmomoastheirchilduwu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 01:49:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18681676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usernamewhatamidoing/pseuds/usernamewhatamidoing
Summary: “Man, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so worked up.” Jeongyeon shakes her head. “Huh? Hey! Why are you crying.”Or: Nayeon means well, Jeongyeon is the mediator, and Momo tries her best.





	FIERCE

_“A flock of birds, hovering above, just a flock of birds, how you think of love…Still I always, look up to the sky, pray before the dawn, ‘cause they fly away, one minute they arrive, next you know they’re gone, they fly on, fly on…” Coldplay: O_

i.

"What if she doesn't like it here?"

"I don't think-"

"Oh god, what if she's allergic to the food we bought?"

"Honey-"

"Where's the folder? I swear I just had it-“

“It’s on the table right where you left it, but babe-“

“Jeong, I can’t find-"

“Nayeon!”

Nayeon stops dead in her tracks, wincing at the sudden outburst while wringing her hands; the air is tense because it's rare to hear Jeongyeon raise her voice in even the slightest of ways (despite the numerous squabbles they have). But she can't help worrying. 

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I'm doing it again, I know." Nayeon sighs, shoulders slumping as she exhales harshly. 

Jeongyeon just stares at her wife for a moment, appraising the older woman carefully before regaining her own composure. "No, I'm sorry for yelling, but you have to calm down a bit."

"I know." Nayeon pouts and it makes Jeongyeon chuckle as she wraps her arms around the latter.

“We triple checked the list that they sent us, and if she doesn’t like it here, then we can always take her back early-“

“I want her to like it here.” Nayeon pouts again and it takes everything in Jeongyeon not to kiss her. 

“She will, I can feel it.”

As if on cue, the shrill buzz of the doorbell sounds and Nayeon is tearing herself out of Jeongyeon’s embrace to race to the foyer. 

-

“You’re. So. Cute!” 

The young girl shrinks deeper into the couch at the loud squeal the oldest lets and tiny hands grip tightly to the stuffed raccoon she holds.

“Um, why don’t you get us something to drink.” Jeongyeon gently coaxes Nayeon towards the kitchen. “I’m sure Momo must be thirsty from her trip here.” 

“Oh! Right, of course.” Nayeon is up and out of seat in an instant, leaving Jeonyeon and Momo by themselves.

The girl’s eyes dart around the unfamiliar space and Jeongyeon can barely make out her form that’s hidden behind the plushie that nearly half her size. It makes her heart clench so she sends the girl a gentle smile before clearing her throat. “You alright there?”

Momo simply nods, eyes never settling.

“Don’t mind Nayeon, she’s just very excited to have you here,” Jeongyeon continues softly, “we both are.”

-

It’s mostly them, directing questions at Momo who doesn’t seem to want to interact just yet. So they take it upon themselves to carry out a dialogue.

(“I don’t know about you Momo, but Nayeon and I really like fruit snacks.” Jeongyeon tears open a packet before popping one into her mouth while discreetly angling the bag in the youngest’s direction. 

“Don’t get started on this again.” Nayeon rolls her eyes before sighing. 

“So I always go in with a strategy, because that’s the only way to eat fruit snacks,” Jeongyeon continues, pointedly ignoring Nayeons pleads, “I eat the red ones first, then the green, then any orange ones, and of course, you have to save the best for last which clearly are the yellow ones.” 

“You’re disgusting.” Nayeon laughs loudly and pushes Jeongyoen’s shoulder with enough force to nearly topple her from the sofa. “Yellow and orange aren’t bad but red fruit snacks are superior, any rational person would know this.” 

They bicker for a couple minutes, only stopping at the light giggling sound that causes them both to pause. 

“What do you think Momo, what’s your favorite flavor?” 

Momo stops laughing, looking contemplative before shyly answering. “I like the green ones.”)

-

“Why don’t we show you around the house?” Nayeon suggests, smile threatening to split her face in half. “There’s someplace special we want to show you.”

-

Jeongyeon and Nayeon lead Momo upstairs, pushing the first door on the left to reveal a cream colored room with a twin sized bed and bare fixtures. “So this is your room. We weren’t entirely sure what your preferences were. We figured you’d want to pick out things for yourself. That is if you choose to stay with us of course.”

Nayeon nervously taps her nails on the doorframe. “Do you like it?”

Momo says nothing, quietly surveying the space in front of her. 

“Yes.”

ii. 

Although the past month was rather incident free transition wise and Momo was fairing better than Jeongyeon thought she would, she was nervous for when the other shoe was going to drop. 

“You’re thinking too hard about this.” Nayeon chides her from their bed, glasses perched low on her nose as she flips through some file for work. 

“I’m not I’m just wondering if she’s really okay.” Jeongyeon replies, rinsing her mouth one last time before exiting the bathroom to join the latter. “Aren’t you concerned at all?”

The glare Nayeon levels her with is telling enough and Jeongyeon winces because, yeah, maybe she could have worded that differently. “Of course I am, trust me, if anyone knows what she’s going through it would be me.” 

She nods sheepishly, sliding underneath the covers before reaching for Nayeon’s free hand. “I know, I didn’t mean it like that I guess I’m just surprised is all.” 

“I know.” Nayeon swallows, throat tight at the thought of Momo keeping things to herself. Even though she might be more carefree than Jeongyeon, that didn’t mean she didn’t notice Momo’s reserved behavior. It wasn’t uncommon, certainly, and it’s for that exact reason that Nayeon was worried.  “I don’t want to push her though. She’s quiet, but, it’s still early.” 

“Right.”

“And our last appointment with Seungwan went well, so, I think- I feel like everything is okay.” 

“Yeah, no of course,” Jeongyeon soothes, brushing her thumb across tensed knuckles, “I don’t want you to worry, I just want things to stay this way.” 

“That’s a lot to ask for, especially with children.” Nayeon chuckles, finally pushing her work aside and switching the lamp off. “But, I get what you mean. I want that too.” 

-

Though there aren’t meltdowns or fits, Momo’s insecurities manifest themselves in the tiniest of ways. And Nayeon catalogs each and every one.

The first one Nayeon experiences within the first three days.

-

They had just pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store where it’s particularly crowded because of course, she had to wait until Sunday afternoon to run errands. Nayeon was determined to make the most of this outing though, especially because it was the first time Momo and her were going to be alone without Jeongyeon. Finding a suitable parking space, Nayeon turns the engine off and shoots a smile at Momo who was strapped into her carseat. 

“Are you ready?” She tries act as excited as possible, but only receives a blank stare back. Of course, not one to be deterred, Nayeon steps out of the car and moves to unbuckle Momo. “Is there anything you’re looking for?” 

To this Momo simply shakes her head and grasps for her stuffed toy (affectionally dubbed Bandit), which Nayeon gladly hands over. 

Sighing, Nayeon still smiles. “Alright, well, come on, we should at least try and beat the noon rush. Maybe we can even sit and eat in the market place.” 

Stretching out her hand, Nayeon watches curiously as Momo seems to take a step back, gripping impossibly tighter onto Bandit. 

“Hey,” Nayeon crouches down, eyes softening, “it’s okay. Look, we should hold hands because there are a lot of cars and people out today.” 

Momo bites her lip, glancing between the ground and Nayeon's outstretched hand as if considering her situation. 

“How about if you just hold onto my finger?” Nayeon asks, holding out her index finger. “Would that be okay?”

Momo shuffling her feet a couple times before nodding, reaching out with her small hand to loosely grip onto Nayeon. 

(And even though it doesn’t seem like much, it’s a big deal to her- enough for Nayeon to flash the girl a wide smile, adding even more bounce into her step.)

iii. 

They had known, before Momo even set foot into their house that things would take time. The stories that Jihyo had told them made Jeongyeon tense with anger, and Nayeon, well, she knew from personal experience that occurrences like these, though sad, were extremely common.

“It’s likely she’ll need time to warm up to you two,” Jihyo smiles politely at them from her seat across the desk, “though I have a feeling she will eventually. Patience in cases like these is crucial.”

“Of course.” Nayeon nods, pushing back the thick folder detailing Momo’s previous homes. “Is she- has she said anything about coming to stay with us?” 

“Nothing of note,” Jihyo pauses, “I think your initial meeting was a good indicator of how she would act if she were placed with you. She’s very perceptive, for her age, but that makes her equally as guarded. Of course, this was one of the reasons I though Momo would fit well with you and Jeongyeon.” 

Glancing out into the waiting room, Nayeon tunes out the rest of the conversation, letting Jeongyoen take over. It always bothered her, the paperwork and such, not because she was against such regulations- but because it made the process seem almost like a business transaction. 

Just the thought left a bitter taste in her mouth, so Nayeon turns instead to watch Momo who sits, fiddling with the loose threads of the old and worn chair. 

“Are we allowed to give her something?” Nayeon suddenly asks, disrupting whatever Jihyo and Jeongyeon had been discussing previously. 

“Uh, well, usually no. We don’t allow gifts.” Jihyo shakes her head. 

“Aw come on Jihyo, you won’t make an exception? Even for us?” Jeongyeon teases. “We picked it out especially for her.” 

“Still causing trouble I see.” Jihyo shakes her head at her two friends. “We don’t like potential parents to give gifts to the children because it could create an attachment, and because we can’t guarantee that Momo will end up with you indefinitely, well.” 

“Well then you can give it to her for us, it’ll come from you.” Nayeon pleads this time, sliding the bag over to a still reluctant Jihyo. 

“I, suppose…” Jihyo sighs, relenting after peeking into the bag and smiling softly. “it is her favorite animal after all.”

iv. 

She wakes up because it’s quiet; eerily so.

There’s no faint glow from the bedside table where their alarm clock sits and even the usual low hum from the air conditioning is absent. Blinking, Jeongyeon makes to burrow further into her pillow until a loud rumble is heard from outside followed by a tiny whine.

“Momo?” Jeongyeon mumbles, squinting through the darkness.

Small feet pad closer to the edge of the bed and Jeongyeon’s confronted with a wild mane of dark hair and wide eyes. “What’s wrong sweetie? Can’t sleep?”

Momo simply shakes her head, choosing to stay silent as her hands curl into tight fists around her stuffed animal.

“That’s alright, do you wanna sleep with us tonight?” 

Another nod.

Sitting up, Jeongyeon helps lift the small girl into the bed, jostling Nayeon in the process.

“Mm?” Nayeon groans, eyebrows furrowing as she slowly begins to wake up. “What’s going on?”

“Big storm,” she whispers, “looks like it knocked the power out.”

“Hey baby, what’s the matter?” Nayeon mumbles, helping Momo settle better underneath the thick comforter. 

“I’m gonna go get the extra blanket.” Jeongyeon comments before stepping out into the hall. 

Tucking in the edges of the sheets around the two of them, Nayeon smiles. “It’s alright, as long as we’re inside we’re safe.”

Jeongyeon returns a moment later, tossing a large flannel blanket into Nayeon’s outstretched hands before she makes to pull the curtains, blocking out the bright flashes of lighting. “Here, these might help.” 

“I forgot we had these.” Nayeon chuckles, weighing the headphones in her hands before directing her attention to Momo. “You wanna try these? They’re soundproof.” 

“I can?” The girls voice is quiet as she tentatively reaches out to help guide Nayeon’s hands. 

“Better?” Nayeon asks, but gets no answer in return, simply a blank face from the small girl. 

“I think they work.” Jeongyeon laughs, resettling into her side of the bed. 

Nayeon nods happily, tucking Momo under her arm, surprised by the lack of protest. The girl nuzzles her face into the top of her stuffed animal, yawning as her eyes flutter closed.

(Come morning, Momo finds herself comfortably squished between the two women, warm and safe.)

v. 

If you had known them before- Jeongyeon and Nayeon- you would have thought they would be the first to settle down and start a family. 

Or at least, that’s what their friends liked to tease them about. 

And while Nayeon did adore children, even in her own youth, life hadn’t left her much room to breath. She often worked long hours and traveled nearly every month. And to be quite honest, she liked her alone time and her space to decompress; even with Jeongyeon, she felt herself being spread thin at times. 

She was still young, not even past thirty-three, she didn’t feel pressured to start a family but-

“She’s cute.” Jeongyoen leans over, stealing a lick at the cone that was slowly starting to melt in her grasp. 

Nayeon hums in agreement, eyes never leaving the playground across the street. Maybe she should feel creepy for just staring at the oblivious group of children, occupied with their ever intense game of hide and seek, but she can’t help the conflicting feelings building inside of her. 

“Nayoen,” Jeonyeon nudges her shoulder, finally gaining her attention, “you okay?” 

“Yeah,” she shakes her head to refocus, “yeah. Just- thinking is all.” 

“I know we haven’t talked much about it, but, I think it’s something to consider.” Jeongyeon says lowly, as if testing the waters. 

“Me too. Especially now that I’m pretty sure I’m going to get that promotion.” 

“You don’t have to take it for that reason though.” 

“No,” Nayeon shakes her head, smiling as she passes the cone to a grateful Jeongyeon, “I wouldn’t take it just for that. I mean, I love my work and all, but, if I’m being honest it's a lot. If I took it i’d still get to work hands on with the projects, I’ll still travel just not as much and I’d have a team working for me.” 

“Yeah, I guess there isn’t much not to like about it.” Jeongyeon chuckles. 

“It’s perfect.” She mumbles, taking her wife’s hand to fiddle with the gold band that fit snuggly on her ring finger. “You work a lot too though.” 

“Yeah,” Jeongyeon shrugs, “but a lot of it can be done from home, and even then, my schedule can be very flexible if I want it to be.” 

“Mmm.”

“Of course, it’s not like we’re deciding now.” Jeongyeon’s tone brightens as she quickly plants a kiss on Nayeon’s cheek. “And even if we did, the adoption process takes a while.” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Nayeon smiles, leaning her head on the other’s shoulder. 

“Or you know, we could start off by getting a pet like Chaeyoung and Dahyun.” 

vi. 

“We made drawings in class today using tempura.” Momo starts, sticking her fork shakily into the broccoli that occupied the left half of her plate. 

Nayeon masks her surprise and amusement by grabbing for the bowl of salad. “I think you mean tempera sweetie.” 

“Tempera?” Momo scrunches her eyebrows, testing the word a couple times before continuing. “Yeah, that stuff. We painted with it and I made this.” 

Sliding off her seat, Momo walks to the front door to grab her folder from her backpack. Taking it from Momo, Jeongyeon gasps exaggeratedly, smiling at the colorful work. “Woah, Momo, this is incredible!” 

“Is that us?” Nayeon points to the stick figure family that stood in the center of the page. 

“Yup.” Momo nods, focus again on her plate of food. 

“It’s wonderful honey, why don’t you go hang it on the fridge after dinner.” 

Momo smiles widely. “Okay!” 

-

It’s a travesty, Jeongyeon thinks as she shakes her head, still in shock that this will be the first time Momo has ever gone trick-or-treating. “You ready to go kiddo?”

Momo pushes the oversized witch hat back from covering her eyes and clutches tightly to her pumpkin bucket. “Can we stop by Mina’s house first? Mommy said we could see if she wanted to go with us.” 

“Yeah, of course.” Jeongyeon laughs, opening the door and ushering Momo out to the porch. 

Mina and Momo had become quite close ever since they learned they lived just three houses apart. Of course, Nayeon was ecstatic to find Momo making friends in school and in the end, the couple became good friends with Mina’s parents. 

“Okay, you two have fun.” Nayeon leaned down to hug Momo, setting her camera aside. “Tell Sana and Tzuyu I said hi if they’re with Mina.” 

“Will do.” 

-  
“But why can’t we!” Momo whined, stomping her foot against the ground in frustration. 

“Momo, stop,” Jeongyeon started sternly, “we know you really want to get one but we have to think about it first.” 

“But Mina has one and you said you really like Ray.” 

“Well, yes sweetie but getting a dog is a big responsibility and it takes a lot of time. Right now might not be the best.” Nayeon nods, tone firm. 

Momo whines lowly, lower lip beginning to tremble before the girl stomps her way upstairs. 

“Man, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so worked up.” Jeongyeon shakes her head. “Huh? Hey! Why are you crying.” 

“M’not crying.” Nayeon shakes her head, wiping her arm across her face and sniffling. 

Though it’s difficult, Jeongyeon suppresses her laughter to bring Nayeon into a tight hug. “Ah, geez what’s up with you?”

“I’m just really happy.” Nayeon finally catches her breath and wipes away the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Yeah?” Jeongyeon hums, eyes dancing with amusement. 

“I’m just happy she feels comfortable enough to show us that.” Nayeon sighs, tiredness seeping into her bones. “Less than a year ago she wouldn’t have dared to even ask us for a glass of water let alone a dog.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Jeongyeon smiles. “Man, we must be the only parents who get excited about our kid throwing a fit.” 

Nayeon laughs, burying her face in Jeongyeon hair. “Yeah, we really are.” 

They stay like that, embracing against the kitchen island, letting the silence wash over them until small footsteps are heard rounding the corner. A teary eyed Momo appears, frowning. “Mama.” 

“Yes?” Jeongyeon turns them so they both are facing the girl. 

Momo fiddles with her fingers, eyes glued to the ground. “I’m sorry I got mad.” 

Nayeon swears, her heart swells ten times larger. “Oh baby, it’s okay. I know it’s frustrating.” 

Kneeling down and opening up her arms, Jeongyeon scoops Momo up into her arms, attacking her with kisses. 

“For now, how about you get to visit Ray and Mina as much as you want, and maybe, just maybe, if it’s possible, we can look into getting a pet sometime next year.”

“Okay,” Momo giggles, squirming in Jeongyeons grasp, “that sounds good.”

-

And later that evening, when they’re all piled onto the couch, cuddling and watching Finding Nemo for the hundredth time, Nayeon knows there’s no taming the fierce emotion she spread through her entire body. 

(She doesn’t think she’d ever want to.)


End file.
